This Writer's Life by Jennifer Johnson

Jennifer Johnson

In our recent survey, our readers responded with a resounding plea for more posts about a writer's life. Here's a glimpse into Jennifer Johnson's life. Hope you enjoy! ~Dora

What distracts you from writing the easiest, Jennifer?
Hmm…life! I have a husband, who tends to lose things...he’s a terrific guy, though. I love you, Al. I have three daughters. The oldest is newly-married and student teaching. She’s in meltdown mode at least three times a week. My second daughter is just walking drama of disaster. God loves that child and so do I, but whew that girl can wear a momma out. My youngest is a freshman who enjoys being chauffeured from one thing to the other, and who also shares her heart with her mommy quite often. Note: I’m very thankful my girls will talk to me.

Outside of family, I teach 150 6th graders a day. Now that’s a distraction. I also tend to like to play Ruzzle, Family Feud, SongPop, and Pics & Words. And I’m a Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, Duck Dynasty, and American Idol junkie. I suppose I’ve been known to get caught up in Good Luck, Charlie- love that mom, Reba, and a few of the other shows my girls suck me into watching. I’m telling you, it’s all their faults.

Are there things you put off doing because you dread them?
Write proposals- This makes me laugh, but the truth is writing a synopsis is like pulling teeth. Just let me write the story already. Unless it’s something I want to do, I’m a habitual procrastinator. Not a very disciplined girl.

Do you prefer to weave in spiritual themes? 
YES! I love to write about God’s faithfulness and mercy, and that He can use us no matter how we’ve sinned and no matter what sins have been done to us. We live in a world that for the most part bows to the wrong master. As a result, we mess up, even after accepting Christ as our Savior, we mess up. And sometimes evil affects us, even when we’re doing nothing wrong.

God-fearing men and women have affairs, get hooked on drugs, steal, lie, cheat…they do things we can’t believe…and we talk about them. Children are abused. People are killed in accidents. Evil abounds. None of us are immune.

Can I give you an answer WHY some of these things are allowed, how a sovereign God would be willing to see those things happen? I can’t. What I can say is that we serve a good God. One who has a plan for our lives, who offers rest and comfort for the weary, who will save us from ourselves and this world, who will use everything that’s happened for GOOD to those who love and trust Him.

What brings a smile to your writer's heart?
I love when God does something and then shows me. For example, one time I sent a card to a church friend. I just kept feeling the Spirit’s pressure to send her a note about how much I loved her. Well, I mailed that letter and come to find out she received it on her deceased husband’s birthday…the very first birthday she spent without him. I didn’t know it was his birthday. I was just obeying the spirit to uplift a friend. It was very cool, and just made me smile again.

Dora here. Now it's your turn. 

What distractions pull you away from your writing?

Friends Nick Martin, Drew Wilson, and Mike McCauley are betting on love—and the last man left single wins.

Bluegrass Bachelors
Purchase Link

With Nick’s competitive, determined nature, winning should be easy. After all, he managed to pay off his land debts before her turned thirty—ahead of schedule. But Nick didn’t count on Addy Wilson returning to town. Now, with the risk of losing love, are the stakes too high?

While his friends may succumb to wedding vows, Drew is sure he won’t. And Melody Markwell only confirms his resolve. She’s hard-headed, competitive…too much like himself. So why does Drew suddenly feel that winning her heart is worth losing the bet?

Mike has waited for this moment for years. But now that he finally gets a chance to take the girl he’s been pining over on a date, he’s let down. Then to his annoyance, clumsy Johanna Smith keeps running into him—literally. Is this God’s way of getting his attention?

All bets are off, but will these bluegrass bachelors give in to love?

Jennifer Johnson and the world’s most supportive husband have been married for over two decades. They’ve been blessed to raise three amazing daughters and recently added a terrific son-in-law to the crew. Jennifer teaches 6th grade writing at her local middle school. She has seventeen published novels and one novella. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys shopping and watching movies with her family, going to dinner with her best friend, and brainstorming slumber parties with her writing buddies. She loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at jenwrites4god@bellsouth.net or www.jenniferjohnsonbooks.com.

Novella Teams by Eileen Key

Writing a novella is an amazing experience. What begins as a kernel of an idea batted around by four individuals often melds into a wonderful pot of stew. However, if the “write” team isn’t careful, one seasoning can ruin a meal.

Teamwork
In our novella, Sundays in Fredericksburg, we read each other’s works, offered suggestions and worked toward a viable timeline. This novel is based on four generations of women, so it was important to weave in the names and years correctly. Margie Vawter, Connie Stevens and Lynette Sowell are strong historical writers, so I gladly picked up the contemporary slot.

Research
The August before our deadline, Connie visited Texas and met with Lynette and I to tour Fredericksburg. (Margie was familiar with the area.) We interviewed ladies at the museums, poked into antique stores, drove around the area and dined on fabulous food. Research can be so taxing! But all of that effort adds “salt and pepper” to the stew. Accuracy. Readers are fond of pointing out incorrect details, so be careful when you write.

The Romancing America series by Barbour contains many stories of love lost/love found. All the books feature the strong element of faith. I hope you enjoy our novella contribution to this wonderful line of books when you read our stories. Let us know what you think! 

Thank you for the visit! 

Dora here. What about you? Have you tackled writing a novella or 

worked together on a joint project? 

Care to share how that worked for you?

Sundays in Fredericksburg

Sundays in Fredericksburg ~ Purchase Link

Come down to Fredericksburg, Texas, where four generations of couples encounter romance in Sunday Houses. Having become a schoolteacher to avoid marriage, Amelia Bachman finds her resolve crumbling before a smitten carpenter. Determined not to fall in love, Mildred Zimmermann carefully nurses an army medic crippled in love and war. Somewhat of a homebody, Trudy Meier isn’t sure she has the courage to love a roving reporter. Gwendolyn’s beautiful wildflower field is threatened by a geologist’s search for knowledge. Will these four women risk their hearts for the love a stranger?  

Eileen Key retired after teaching school for thirty years. She is a freelance writer and editor, with two mysteries and three novellas published. Mother of three, grandmother of three, Eileen resides in San Antonio, Texas, where she is an active member of Grace Community Church. Find her on the web at eileenkey.com